Tempting Fate
by Spikeybabe
Summary: Slash Tanya calls and tells Rocky that she and Adam have broken up. Rocky has always wanted Adam. Should he take a chance or just be Adam's friend? What will he do if Adam takes the next step?
1. The Beginning

Do I really need to tell you that I don't own the Power Rangers? Because I don't; they just seem to lurk in my mind until I write stories about them. Hopefully, someone will like it. If not, I'll try harder next time. :-)

The Beginning 

'_Note to self. Don't let the paperwork get so far out of control that it takes an entire day to take care of,' _Rocky thought wryly. When he started his dojo nine years ago, he wasn't aware of how much paperwork owning a business generated. There were files and papers covering his desk, fax machine, and even stacks on his office floor.

Normally he didn't let things get so out of control and especially not around tax time. But with all four of his sisters in various months of pregnancy, the entire DeSantos family was in turmoil. The sister's husbands had learned to hide which meant that they called their brothers and parents whenever they needed something.

When his phone rang, he was buried in outdated student records. He reached for the phone and swore when he noticed that it wasn't on the base. He must have laid it down after talking to his mother. Great. His oldest sister, Misty, was 8 ½ months pregnant with twins and that meant they were all on call in case she went into labor.

He patted his desk, trying to place where the ring was coming from. Knowing that the guilt trip would be fierce if it **was** one of his sister's was the only reason he kept searching. Of course the phone had to be underneath the highest stack of papers on the desk. He grabbed for the stack when it tilted; succeeding in grasping the first file and then watched in horror as the rest of the stack fell off and scattered on the floor.

He clutched the phone, trying to breath through the irritation. Half the irritation was at his sister for calling the office and not his cell and the other half with himself for being clumsy. If this call wasn't important, he was going to be hard pressed not to scream.

"Hello?" he growled.

"Hey, Rocky. It's Tanya."

He frowned at the husky sound of her voice. "What's wrong, sweetie? Are you okay? Is Adam?"

Her voice was soft and sad when she answered. "Adam and I broke up tonight."

He sputtered at the unexpected comment. "What? Why?" Adam and Tanya had been dating for almost ten years. Truthfully, he had thought it would only be a matter of time before they were engaged.

She didn't answer so he tried again. "I'm sorry, Tanya," but his voice trailed off before he could finish. "I don't know what else to say to you," he replied helplessly.

Her laughter was rough but genuine. "That's what I love about you, Rocky. You say what you think." She sighed. "The reason I'm calling is because I think you should go see how Adam is doing. He needs you now."

He laughed but it wasn't because he found the idea humorous. "Yeah, right. What makes you think he'll be willing to talk to me? You know our friendship hasn't been the same since…."

"You came out. Yes, I know that but he needs the support of his oldest friend and you're it. What has happened since then doesn't change that fact."

"Tanya…"

"No. You don't know the entire story of why he backed away. I do. But I guess you'll do what you want to." She slammed down the phone in his ear.

Rocky placed the phone in the base this time and rubbed his forehead. So what was he supposed to do now? He hadn't talked to Adam in a month at least. It wasn't as if Adam had freaked out when he admitted he was gay but there was definitely a chill in their friendship. But was Tanya right? Would Adam really accept his support now? And what had she meant when she said that she knew the entire story.

Well, he knew what he was going to do. If there was a chance that Adam would let him back into his life, he was going to have to try. Because no matter how hard he tried, he still couldn't exorcise Adam from his heart.

He stepped over the papers covering his floor; it would have to wait until tomorrow. He flipped off his office lights on the way out. He's stop at the corner store and pick up some beer. Maybe it would help ease the way into Adam's house.


	2. The Meeting

Thanks for the reviews, I really appreciate them.

The Meeting 

Rocky knocked on Adam's front door again. He'd been standing outside the house for the last five minutes without an answer. Adam was home; he knew it because the curtains over the window by the front door had twitched when he had gotten out of his truck. He wasn't sure why but he swore Adam was lurking in the hall behind the closed door.

Though feeling slightly stupid talking to the blue door, he raised his voice to say he was leaving. "Okay, Adam, I can take a hint. I heard about you and Tanya and I just wanted to see how you were doing. I'm leaving some beer on the porch and if you ever need to talk, just call. I'll be here."

He hurried back toward his truck, annoyed with himself for caring that Adam was still ignoring him. He should never have listened to Tanya because obviously Adam hadn't changed his mind about letting Rocky back into his life. Well, he did have a lot of work to take care of; he could get back to the dojo and finish it.

He heard the door open behind him but he didn't stop. His pride could only take so many hits and if Adam had opened the door just to grab the beer or worse, to tell him to go away – well, he was sure he'd embarrass himself and Adam by bursting into tears. And that would be fucking marvelous.

Adam waited until he was sliding into his truck before speaking. "Rocky."

That was all he was going to say? After all this time, all the nervous silences, all the unreturned phone calls, the hesitant meetings, and that's all he was going to offer? Helplessly, Rocky glanced back to find Adam leaning against the door frame of his tidy white house, beer in hand. "I'm getting drunk. Do you want to come in?"

Did he? He wasn't sure. But maybe he should just be grateful that Adam hadn't told him to go to hell but part of him wanted more than this. He took a deep breath before slamming his truck door, setting the alarm and then he slowly walked toward the house.

He walked up onto the porch before looking at Adam uncertainly. His heart lurched at the look in Adam's eyes. Was that satisfaction? And there was something else shining in the almond-shaped eyes; something elusive yet almost hot in its intensity. A chill danced down his spine and he shuddered.

Adam blinked and the expression was gone. "Something wrong?" he asked softly before brushing back his rumpled hair.

Rocky shook his head. He stepped into the house, brushing against Adam in the process. He hardened at the feel of Adam's muscular body, grateful that he was wearing baggy jeans. The smell of Adam's cologne wrapped around him, bringing images better left alone. _I need to get out of here. Immediately, _his mind screamed at him. But he didn't leave. Everything would be fine. He hoped.


	3. The Change

I've lost a chapter somewhere. I had this all planned out at 6 but now that I'm here, I've only got 5. Oh, well. That was totally random but I didn't have anything else I wanted to say here.

The Change

Everything was **not** fine.

Rocky rested his head on the back of the ugly brown couch and closed his eyes. He held his beer in one hand and the fingers of the other was keeping time to the radio playing softly.

He took a healthy swallow of beer before laying his head back down._ I really need to get out of here._

At first, it had seemed like old times. Back when they had been kids and even teenagers before Rita and Zedd, before Tanya. Before life had intruded.

Then, even with the beer in his system, he sensed something in the air. Something tense that charged the air and made his skin burn and it was killing the nice buzz he had going. Like maybe Adam thought that he was going to lose it and molest him. A smile curved his lips. He might be a fool, especially where it concerned Adam but he wasn't that stupid or that drunk.

He could tolerate getting his ass kicked but he would never risk not having Adam in his life. Maybe he didn't like the coldness in their relationship but never seeing those almond-shaped eyes and tousled hair or hearing that raspy voice would kill him. _I'm becoming as mushy as a girl._

He raised his head to glance around the room. Adam had left the living room earlier without a word which meant that he could finally relax. And while he was half-convinced that Adam was gone because it was a hint for him to leave, he wasn't going to disappear without a word. If Adam wanted him gone, he could come back first.

Rocky stood up and his head spun around sickly. He fell more than sat down again. Jeez. How many beers had he drunk tonight? He hoped Misty didn't go into labor because his mom would kill him if he showed up at the hospital drunk.

His skin prickled and he warily opened his eyes. Adam was standing at the end of the couch, watching him.

Jesus. Getting turned on wasn't an option. "Maybe I should go," he mumbled before trying to stand again.

"You're not going anywhere," Adam's voice was softly dangerous. It wasn't the first time that evening he'd heard that tone or had seen that look in the dark eyes, but it was the first time it had made him tremble.

He moved away quickly. He wasn't completely sure if his reaction was fear, desire, or an unhealthy mixture of both but he wasn't going to stand around figuring it out. His plan was to get of there before he did something crazy. Like begging Adam to kiss him.

"Rocky, don't be ridiculous. You have a forty minute drive and you can barely stand. Either call someone to pick you up or stay here."

Right. Either call a friend or family member at 3 a.m. to drive him home or stay the night with someone that was starting to freak him out. Easy decision that was going to be. He sighed. "Okay, I'll stay. The entire family is on baby watch. If I call any of them, they'll kill me."

Adam nodded; his downcast eyes shielded from Rocky but he could tell that Adam was pleased. Adam pulled the beer out of Rocky's suddenly numb fingers. Adam wrapped his fingers around Rocky's wrist and tugged him down the hall and into an open door on the left.

"Extra toothbrush is in the bathroom," he said, gesturing off to the right.

Rocky knew his mouth was hanging open like an idiot but he'd never been so stunned before. "But…isn't this your room?"

Adam smiled slightly and watched Rocky closely. "I promise to stay on my side of the bed." He hesitated momentarily, searching for something before turning and leaving Rocky alone.

Rocky went into the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. His brown eyes were wide with panic and his cheeks were covered in the pink flush that happened whenever he drank.

Why would Adam want to share a bed with him? It would be different if Adam had ever shown some sort of interest in him but this was unexpected and unsettling. This was going to come back and bite him in the ass, he was sure of it. It wasn't as if they'd been particularly close lately and they hadn't shared a room since they were 15, after he'd gotten his own room instead of sharing with his younger brother. This would be decidedly different; at 15, he didn't know he was gay and was only peripherally aware of sexual attraction.

He finished in the bathroom and walked across the room with determination, wanting to get the hell out of Adam's bedroom. But when he stepped out, he found Adam leaning against the wall. His head pounded, his heart skipped a beat, and he knew he was screwed. How was he supposed to run when Adam was using **that** look? The one that made him want to do anything that Adam wanted.

Adam studied him closely before commenting wryly. "I guess you're not drunk enough to stay?"

"No, I'm not." And, God, his voice cracked on the words. _Way to sound decisive, man._

"Will you stick around tomorrow until I can talk to you?"

"Why tomorrow?" What he really meant was why not right now but his vocal cords seized up the moment Adam grabbed his wrist.

"Just stay. Please." It was the please that did it. Just a little hoarse and a little desperate.

He shivered and Adam's fingers tightened almost painfully.

He swallowed hard and nodded. "I'll be here."

Adam smiled and while the smile radiated pleasure; the eyes displayed a hint of nervousness.

"Thank you," he said softly and dropped his hand. With a finale glance at Rocky, he went into his bedroom and shut the door behind him.

Rocky went into the guest room, surprised his knees held him up despite the jelly-like consistency of them. He stripped down to his boxers and climbed between the sheets, willing himself to sleep. He was confused and aroused - a frustrating combination.


	4. The Reality

I'm not happy with this chapter. I can't give it the feel that I'm looking for so I'm making due with this.

The Reality 

Heat. He became aware of it in stages. First, he felt it next to his hip. It touched his back and then his hair.

Half-asleep, he turned toward it, wanting to arch into it.

Something rough brushed against his cheek, traced the line of his eyebrow before skipping down his nose. It brushed across the upper curve of his lip, hesitating on the bow.

He moaned softly. He kept his eyes closed, his nerve endings tingling and skin pebbling. After being alone for so long, he was happy to feel again.

The feeling moved down his neck and he shuddered. Tracing his collarbone and leaving goose bumps in its wake.

He made another noise and this time he heard a response. "Shhh," the voice whispered.

Adam's voice. He has had this dream before and knows that it will end when he opened his eyes. So he kept them closed.

The hand stopped on his shoulder and pressed gently in a semblance of a hug before withdrawing. He whimpered.

The body moved away and he grabbed for it reflexively. Smooth skin covering hard muscles. Male. Adam's skin – he knew it from the feel. Those sparring sessions they'd had over the years were good for something besides practice.

His eyes flew open and he stared into Adam's eyes. They were glowing bright from the hallway light. Adam had raised off the bed and was in mid-stand. Rocky's hand was on Adam's wrist, and he wasn't going to let go.

He tugged Adam forward and braced for a fist, but he needed to feel Adam at least once. Adam leaned forward until their lips met. Oh, God. Instant flame between them. His mouth was skillful moving against Rocky's and he thrust his tongue deep into Rocky's mouth.

Rocky moaned at the sensations, pressing closer to feel Adam's body straining against his. It wasn't a comfortable position. He was sitting on the bed and had pulled Adam forward, who had braced himself on the mattress so he wouldn't fall. Rocky wrestled with the sheet, covering his lap. He needed to be closer to Adam.

His breath heaved, his desire rising in a rush. One of Adam's hands was stroking his back and Rocky was touching as much of Adam as he could manage.

God, he was on fire. He wrenched his mouth away from the one moving erotically against his. He turned on the bedside light as an excuse to regain his composure and tried to calm his breathing.

He wanted to turn toward Adam but gave himself a minute. Finally, he did. Adam was still half-standing, frozen in place, skin flushed pink. His eyes were heavy with some emotion that Rocky couldn't decipher what it was. Rocky tugged him down beside him, hips touching. And if that little touch could make him shudder, he couldn't imagine what more of that heat would cause him to do.

Rocky opened his mouth but Adam beat him to it.

"Do you want me?"

Yes. Oh God, yes. But why now? Adam had been acting strange all evening and now he was in Rocky's bed. He started to say it, to say anything but he was shocked to hear something totally different come out of his mouth. "Only if you mean it. Don't play with me."

The heat in Adam's eyes deepened and Rocky's stomach fluttered.

"Do you trust me?"

He hesitated, thinking it through even when his body was screaming for him to agree. Did he trust Adam? He had and did trust the other man to save his life. But did he trust Adam not to break his heart? He didn't know but it would be enough for tonight.

"Yes," he whispered, "I trust you."

And if it meant seeing that look on Adam's face, he would say it anytime. His heart skipped a beat and though it was a dramatic thought, he knew that the rhythm of his heart would never be the same. It would always skip when Adam was near and if he never had another chance to be this close to him, he would always remember it.

Neither man moved, content to look at one another. Rocky leaned forward and pressed his lips to Adam's throat. His whole body jolted at the contact so Rocky did it again. He sucked, licked, and kissed the long, tanned expanse of skin.

He bit gently at the curve of Adam's shoulder, laughing when he found himself flat on his back with Adam on his side, looking down at him.

Adam laid a palm on his chest, the nervousness apparent in the dark eyes.

Worried, Rocky cupped Adam's cheek and stroked the raspy flesh. "We don't have to…."

"It's not that," he said and pulled the sheet off Rocky completely. He hooked his finger under the waistband of Rocky's boxers. The feel of that finger, just _touching_ his lower stomach made him hard.

"Can I take these off? I'd like to see you."

Lord. Those two lines were instant overload to his system. Wordlessly, he lifted his hips and helped Adam slide off the boxers. He couldn't speak. He could barely hear through the roaring in his ears.

Oh, God. Adam slid on top of him, his boxers gone, too. He lined up their lower bodies and rocked his hips rhythmically.

Rocky was babbling – he didn't know what he was saying but it was driving Adam wild. His hands slid around to cup Adam's hips and Adam bit his earlobe in retaliation.

His body shivered and shook with wild abandon and Adam did it again and again until all Rocky could see was Adam. All he could feel was Adam and all he could hear was the other man's heavy breaths, moans, and whispered words. Even when they were joined in the most intimate of ways, all he could do was burn.

They both exploded in waves of pleasure and Rocky was left with words he'd never expected to hear echoing in his ears before they slept.


	5. The Ending AKA  A New Beginning

So it's finished. It's changed somewhat since I had the idea almost 9 months ago - it's been written and rewritten, pages of stuff thrown away (I have to ask how one sex scene can be 12 handwritten pages and then go down to 1,000 words!) but it's finished. I hope you enjoy it.

The Ending (A.K.A. - A New Beginning) 

Rocky leaned back in his office chair, struggling to regain his concentration. He probably shouldn't be trying to make business decisions when he was emotionally fried but life did have a way of carrying on whatever hand a person was dealt.

His cell rang and he checked the display. After screening his calls for the last week, it had become second nature to him. He groaned when he saw that it was Misty.

"Hello?" he said, trying to sound clueless.

His sister snorted, not fooled by his act. "Well?"

Damn. That hadn't worked. He shook his head wearily. Two days ago, Misty had given birth to Annabelle and Zoe and when she had come to pick up her son, Xander, who Rocky had been babysitting for her and Dave, she'd gotten an earful of a message that Adam had left for him. He had found himself spilling the whole sordid story which had been a mistake. She had an annoying habit of calling him whenever she was awake with the girls and wanted to know if he'd talked to Adam. And she was driving him nuts.

"No, I haven't."

"What is your problem? You have a great guy, who's one of your oldest friends, in love with you and you're running scared."

"Hold up. I am **not **afraid." He wasn't. Just because he'd had the hottest, best sex of his life with Adam and he left afterwards without a word didn't mean he was afraid. He was being cautious because what had changed between them?

"Bullshit," Misty growled. "I'm might be sleep-deprived but not stupid. You can lie to yourself but not me."

Silence filled the line. He wasn't giving her any answers because she was reporting to their siblings and this was between him and Adam, not his entire family. Finally, she sighed. "He's not going to be there forever. He'll get tired of waiting for you and where will you be? Kicking yourself because of pride. Maybe nothing will come of it or maybe it can be everything you've needed. But don't you owe it to both of you to find out?"

His heart in his throat, he ended the conversation and leaned back in his chair. Last week, after waking up cuddled next to Adam, with the sweat still drying on his body, he felt as if the world was ending. Since then he'd ignored any attempt that Adam had made to contact him. At first, the messages had been pleading with him to call back and finally today's message said that when Rocky was through with being a coward, Adam would be waiting for him.

He knew he needed to talk to Adam but what was he supposed to say? No hard feelings. Oh, it was the beer. Sure, we can forget about it. Hell, he didn't want to forget about it. He wanted…everything.

He propped his feet up on the desk and rubbed his eyes. "What am I going to do about you, Adam?" he asked aloud. And that was just the tip of the iceberg, wasn't it?

"At least you're thinking about me. I was wondering."

Rocky jumped, startled to hear the voice of the man he'd been thinking of, and his foot caught some of the stuff on his desk and it crashed to the floor.

He tried to keep his mouth shut but he felt cornered and he always attacked when he felt off-balance. "Look at what you made me do." He got up and knelt down next to the papers. And then just stayed there, not picking anything up. It was suddenly too much for him. A week ago, he'd been here with papers covering his floor, getting ready to go to Adam's, not knowing what was getting ready to happen. And now, he was here again in the same situation but Adam was right there. In front of him.

He looked up and his fingers laced tight at the look Adam was giving him. His eyes conveyed a startling mix of emotions – anger, regret, tenderness, uncertainty, and…love.

His body went weak. He'd been afraid that Adam hated him but it didn't look like that was the case. He stood, wanting to look Adam straight in the eye when he explained but Adam spoke first.

"I never should have come into your room that night, never should have touched you. I lost control but there's really no excuse." He ran his fingers through his rumpled hair while Rocky watched him. "I'd wanted to be close to you for so long and then you were there in front of me. It was tempting fate but I had to be near you for once." Adam's head snapped up and he looked at Rocky. "I wouldn't have done anything to you if you hadn't been awake. I swear."

He shut his mouth when Rocky laughed. "What?" he asked, frowning.

"Don't be stupid. You were getting off the bed when I grabbed you. I know you better than to think that."

"So why did you leave?" Adam asked softly.

Ah, yes, the question he'd been trying to find an answer to. "I was afraid." Okay, not what he wanted to say but the truth, nonetheless. "You've just broken up with Tanya and I was afraid that you wanted to be with me as a rebound thing or that because you were drinking, you'd make excuses as to why it happened. So I left."

"Tanya and I broke up a couple months ago," was the startling reply. Rocky knew his mouth was hanging open like an idiot. "Months? She told me that you'd broken up that night!"

"She knows that I have feelings for you and has been urging me to call you. I guess she got tired of waiting for me to make a move."

Could he be dreaming? Because he'd always wanted to hear this but it didn't feel real yet. Surreptitiously, he pinched himself. Nope, he was awake.

There was still something he didn't understand.

"What happened…?"

Adam paced away from him. Rocky watched him with an indulgent smile. Adam always thought better when he moved.

"I've been extremely selfish in this whole situation." He looked out the window, his back to Rocky. "I'm bisexual and I've known it since I was 12. I had this huge crush on you and because I didn't think you swung my way, I thought it was futile. I found a girl I liked in Tanya and we dated and everything was great. Until you came out."

Adam turned from the window to look at Rocky. "I thought I owed it to Tanya to stay with her so I distanced myself from you. It was easier. For me. But, Tan shouldn't have to settle for a man who only loves her halfway. She deserves it all. And the thing was? She knew what was going on with me and there toward the end, we were nothing more than friends who lived together." He walked back to the desk and stood close to Rocky.

Silence fell between them but it wasn't uncomfortable. It was hopeful and tense and all those confusing emotions that made love so worthwhile. Finally Adam spoke again.

"Even if it's just get the hell away from me, could you please say something?"

Rocky's lips twitched. Now it felt real. He had all these words he needed to say; things they needed to talk about but where to start?

"I love you." And that was he really needed to say.

He captured Adam between the desk and him and licked his way into Adam's mouth, tasting spearmint and heat. He kept it slow and soft, holding Adam's hands still, so he was the only one touching. The only one teasing until Adam nipped Rocky's lip and then it became all fumbling hands and breathless laughs and shuddering moans.

Later, as they sprawled in the office floor in a boneless heap, Rocky had to smile. Adam thought they were tempting fate but Rocky had a feeling that no matter what happened they'd win in the end.


End file.
